7th Symposium on the History and Philosophy of Programming
What is critical about programming?
13.11.2026 – Universität Basel
We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the 7th symposium on the history and philosophy of programming (HaPoP) on November 13th, 2026. We invite contributions on the history and philosophy of programming broadly understood, whether conceptual concerns or practical matters, field-specific examinations or cross-disciplinary comparisons, as well as, but not limited to, epistemic, aesthetic and ethical reflections.
In the spirit of interdisciplinary inquiry into programming, this symposium will focus on “criticality in programming”, and asking broadly “what is critical about programming?”. Recalling the shared etymological root of “critical” with “crisis”, we start from appreciating a critical moment, a crisis, as that which requires a decision, and thus sharp, unambiguous judgment, to dismiss any doubt. A crisis requires a critical assessment of a situation, and subsequent action, considering programming as both a reflexive and decisive action.
We therefore invite abstracts on the history and philosophy of programming, including, but not restricted to, the following topics:
- Histories and definitions of criticality in software
- Histories of critiques of programming
- Methods of programming critical systems
- Relationships between safety, error, logic and harm
- Critical movements within programming
- Contested programming practices, structures and concepts
- Epistemology of modeling and simulation
- Successes and failures of critical arguments conducted as computer programs
- Artistic projects and approaches to programming
- Hacking as a critical activity
- Programming as socio-political interventions
Abstracts of around 500 words (including references) should be sent to basel-2026@hapoc.org by 2026-07-31. Final decisions will be announced by 2026-08-31.
We particularly invite graduate students and early career researchers from under-represented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds. Travel funding will be available for graduate students and researchers without permanent employment. Requests for travel funding of up to 250€ should be directed to treasurer@hapoc.org, after notification of acceptance. Final decisions on the allocation of travel funds will be made 2026-09-15.